1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carbon monoxide treatment apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carbon monoxide treatment apparatus for a fuel cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel cell is a power generator that generates electrical energy by utilizing a fuel and an oxidant gas.
A fuel cell can be broadly classified into a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell or a direct oxidation membrane (DOM) fuel cell.
The PEM fuel cell receives a reformed gas generated by a reformer and an oxidant gas, and generates electrical energy by using an electrical-chemical reaction of the reformed gas and the oxidant gas.
Here, the reformer generates the reformed gas by steam reforming a fuel (i.e., by utilizing a steam reforming reaction), and the reformed gas includes carbon monoxide, a large amount of hydrogen gas, and water vapor.
The carbon monoxide included in the reformed gas is reduced in concentration by a carbon monoxide treatment apparatus, and the carbon monoxide treatment apparatus is structured to reduce a concentration level of the carbon monoxide by utilizing a preferential CO oxidation (PROX) reaction of the carbon monoxide and an oxidant gas.
A conventional carbon monoxide treatment apparatus includes a cylinder-type reactor with a catalyst embedded in the reactor. The conventional carbon monoxide treatment apparatus supplies the reformed gas and the oxidant gas into the reactor through one end of the reactor, and the catalyst promotes a preferential oxidation reaction of the carbon monoxide such that the concentration level of the carbon monoxide is reduced. The reformed gas having carbon monoxide reduced in concentration is emitted through the other end of the reactor and then supplied to the fuel cell.
However, the conventional carbon monoxide treatment apparatus may contain water vapor from the reformed gas, and the moisture is partially condensed through a supply channel or in the reactor so that condensate water contacts the catalyst.
Therefore, the conventional carbon monoxide treatment apparatus may interrupt absorption of carbon monoxide and the oxidant gas that participate in the preferential oxidation reaction since the condensate water is absorbed into an activated surface of the catalyst.
Accordingly, the catalyst cannot be continuously activated and heat of reaction for a specific reaction cannot be easily generated so that an initial driving time of the conventional carbon monoxide treatment apparatus is increased, thereby deteriorating performance and efficiency of the carbon monoxide treatment apparatus.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.